Instructions for real Oric :
1) Create a wav file with a sample rate of 11025 Hz
2) use the windows "tape player" (you can found it here : Start-->Accessories-->entertainment) to play the file, connecting the Jack on the Headphones output of your soundcard or speaker

I've been working on Fabrice's tape transfer tools this summer, and this bug was on my list
I corrected it but I'm waiting for Fabrice to be sure he's OK for a new set of Tape utilites (and I also still have a few things to finish, and I have absolutely no time for this at the moment sadly).

Hi Waskol, Is it possible for you to upload this file again? I am trying to convert several TAP files to WAV but very few of them will load when I connect my Oric to the PC. The games with loading screens show a few graphical errors and the majority simply don't run after the WAV file has ended. The Oric always goes from Searching to Loading but they rarely run. It's driving me insane!!! I've tried many different WAV players and tried all volume levels but to no avail

Dave: There could be multiple problem, the first is like for real tape, the volume need to be at a good level, if too high or too low it wont work correctly.

Next if you use the power socket you may have a ground problem between your computer and the Oric. as Oric designer wanted the Oric to have a floating ground by using a 7905 instead of a 7805, when plugin external hardware you need to be carefull, it could also induce some unwanted 50Hz rumble.

If you are using a laptop, try to use it without the power plugged, it may help. I've also encountered some problem with such setup (Computer audio to oric tape input) in really electrically noisy environment, if you can try in another room (yeah it may sounds like black magic)

If you are using a microdisc and run a DOS, please try with the latest version of Sedoric as it seems that some DOS may make the TAPE loading not working.

Also, try to use the tap2cd format, it's error correction is a bit better than what the original tape driver does, it may work better.

Thanks for the quick reply Godzil. My computer is Medion all-in-one PC/TV and I think that may be the problem as I never had issues with my old desktop PC. Basically I am trying to restore some of my old games where the tape has degraded preventing the games from loading. The idea is to convert good TAP files to WAV and then transfer them onto new cassettes and then replace the tape in the old cassettes with the new copies. This is a non-starter though due to the WAVS not even loading from the PC. I may have to get my old desktop PC out of the loft and try with that.

Did you try the classic problem: add some silence at the end of the WAV files.
Many reading programs or devices actually don't read the files entirely, cutting the very end of the sound - the Oric then keeps trying "Loading". This can be easily tested: once the WAV file has ended and the Oric keeps loading, start the file again. If the Oric then ends the loading, it means the last bytes were missing from the reading.
Adding a silence at the end of the WAV file prevents from this boring thing: it's the silence that is cut at the end, not the program.

Symoon wrote:Did you try the classic problem: add some silence at the end of the WAV files.
Many reading programs or devices actually don't read the files entirely, cutting the very end of the sound - the Oric then keeps trying "Loading". This can be easily tested: once the WAV file has ended and the Oric keeps loading, start the file again. If the Oric then ends the loading, it means the last bytes were missing from the reading.
Adding a silence at the end of the WAV file prevents from this boring thing: it's the silence that is cut at the end, not the program.

Chema wrote:I am pretty sure that the recompilation of tap2wav I posted somewhere in this forum added a silence at the end.

Yes that was an addition I made long ago (2007) hoping then I would be able to finish the slow decoding too. Now this is close to the end, work is taking over again, but still hoping to have some spare time and Fabrice's blessing to officially release all the tools I modified once and for all.
BTW, in 2007 it added a 0.5 seconds silence at the end, but I noticed since then that this was sometimes not enough, so the next release is set at 1.5 seconds.